1. Field of the Invention
the present invention relates to a tool and method for installing faucet nuts on faucet assemblies at the underside of a lavatory.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In conventional practice faucet assemblies are secured to kitchen, bathroom and utility room lavatories or sinks by means of a faucet nut disposed on the underside of a lavatory. The faucet nut is threadably engaged on a relatively large diameter, hollow tubular, externally threaded nipple that extends from the faucet body downwardly through an opening in the lavatory counter to depend from the underside of the lavatory. Typical residential plumbing faucet assemblies have faucet nipples which are three quarters of an inch in nominal outer diameter.
The faucet assembly normally includes an annular collar which surrounds the faucet valve assembly and which rests atop the upper surface of the lavatory about the periphery of an opening through the lavatory counter. The faucet nipple extends downwardly through the opening and past the collar. The faucet nipple is normally formed of brass, although other metals and hard plastics may be utilized. The faucet nut may likewise be formed of brass, but more typically is formed of a hard plastic such as Delrin.
To install a faucet assembly according to conventional practice, a plumber first places the faucet assembly atop the lavatory with the faucet nipple extending down through an opening in the lavatory counter to protrude through the undersurface of the lavatory counter. The plumber then manually engages the faucet nut on the depending nipple and manually advances the nut the full length of the nipple until the faucet nut resides in abutment against the undersurface of the lavatory counter or plumbing fixture.
The plumber then tightens the faucet nut with his fingers as tightly as possible. However, in order to adequately secure the faucet assembly to the lavatory, it is normally necessary to utilize some implement to advance the faucet nut along the last few threads of the nipple against the underside of the lavatory counter or fixture so as to firmly clamp the faucet assembly, in position against the lavatory counter or fixture. According to conventional practice a plumber will typically employ either a basin wrench or a channel lock wrench in the final stages of tightening the faucet nut in order to adequately secure it.
The present system for installing plumbing faucet nuts is quite laborious and time consuming. The downwardly depending portion of a faucet nipple may extend from the underside of the lavatory counter up to about three inches in length. Thus, the plumber is forced to tediously advance the faucet nut in threaded engagement throughout this protruding length of the faucet nipple. A plumber who must spend several hours installing a number of faucets in this manner will invariably experience considerable soreness of the fingers, shoulders or back. Furthermore, since manual advancement of faucet nuts proceeds so slowly, a considerable amount of the plumber's time is consumed in the process.
The final tightening techniques employed have likewise been unsatisfactory. The depending faucet nipple normally is located within a narrow area that is laterally confined between the structure of the lavatory basin that extends downwardly well past the faucet nipple, and a wall located closely adjacent thereto. The nature of basin wrenches and channel lock wrenches is such that those devices require a considerable lateral area to accommodate the swing of the wrench handles in order to obtain adequate leverage to tighten a faucet nut.
Where faucet nipples are located in narrow areas, as is typically the case, the plumber must sacrifice the leverage required for controlled tightening of the faucet nut. Instead, the plumber must attempt to undertake tightening of the faucet nut with the wrench handle varying from the axis of the faucet nipple by only a few degrees. As a consequence, the leverage obtained is very poor, thereby requiring an application of considerable strength to adequately tighten the faucet nut. Furthermore, a basin wrench or channel lock wrench operated in this manner cannot satisfactorily engage a faucet nut. Consequently, such a tool is quite likely to slip off of the faucet nut as the plumber attempts installation. This sometimes leads to damage of the faucet nut, and in any event significantly lengthens the time required to install the faucet.